By Pastor Eddie Jones
#1 - We Have Got To Be Willing To Serve - John 13:1-5
There are times when we are called out of our comfort zone – and our gift zone – to serve people in a way we’ve never served them before.
80% of your time is used to serve God with passion in your talent & gifting.
20% of your time is used to serve to fulfill your role and advance the ministry of your church.
If anything is “beneath” us, then we truly are not beneath Christ!
#2 - We Must Be Willing To Love - John 13:34-35
Christians fight too much – period!
Jesus said that the world will know we are His by the love we have for one another.
When someone doesn’t believe the particular brand of theology we embrace, we need to love them anyway. I am begging God to raise up a generation of leaders who do not feel that everyone needs to be the same... and who are secure enough to learn from people who do not believe exactly like them.
We must be willing to love people regardless of social or economic class without regard to race or reputation.
#3 - We’ve Got To Be Willing To Trust - John 14:1
We live in a world that is completely out of control, and because of that, we often make the mistake of thinking that God has lost control.
But reality is this (if you are in ministry) - God wants your church to grow more than you want it to! God wants your life to be abundant way more than you do.
One of the mistakes we make is that we think if we don’t get it done, then it can’t be done. The fact is that without trusting God to do the impossible, our efforts mean absolutely nothing. There needs to come a point where we desperately trust Him, even though we may not be able to see Him!
The world needs way less of me and WAY more of Him! (John 3:30)
#4 - We’ve Got To Dream Big - John 14:12
However, I believe what Jesus said here is true... and one of the things I always want to be accused of is dreaming big.
How about you? For some reason the children of the King are the smallest dreamers on the planet. In church we have let Vegas and Hollywood outdo us–UNACCEPTABLE!
Personally, I’ve seen way too many people live for lesser dreams when God has an Ephesians 3:20 life that is merely a prayer away!
I believe that the church ought to be the most creative and innovative place on the planet.
#5 - We’ve Got To Be Willing To Stay Connected - John 14:15, John 14:21
Jesus said if we love Him that we will obey Him... but the only way to do this is by staying connected with Him on a consistent basis.
I believe that Satan doesn’t necessarily want to make us sin - he just wants to get us so busy that we don’t have time to consistently connect with Christ.
John 15:5 gives us a good demonstration of the power that we need to stay connected.
The enemy can make us so busy that we don’t necessarily sin - we just don’t have the time to live our lives in complete obedience!
#6 - We’ve Got To Be Willing To Play Hurt - John 15:18
Life hurts. Pastors and leaders often carry wounds with them. Don’t give up!
Jesus went to a cross... and took a beating before He went. The least we can do is endure receiving a little criticism and being kicked out of the social club at work.
Leaders, if you are leading, then you will be condemned and criticized. Move on, play hurt, and talk to God a lot about it. David, a man after God’s own heart, did it in Psalm.
#7 - We’ve Got To Be Willing To Be Spirit-Led - John 16:12-14
One of the most awesome privileges of following Christ is having Jesus with me every single day through the presence of His Holy Spirit.
I am NEVER alone, and I do not have to figure life out all by myself.
As leaders we must take some time to pray, and then LISTEN. I believe that God is ALWAYS speaking, but many times we aren’t listening, and so we miss Him at times.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Good stuff, Eddie. I find myself struggling with staying connected. In our culture, busyness is sometimes equated with productivity. Spiritually speaking, however, this mindset is counter productive. I never see in the gospels where Jesus was ever in a hurry. For example, His friend dies and He waits four days to show up for the funeral. (Try that as a Pastor and you'll wind up looking for work) I have been asking Holy Spirit to help me live an unhurried life and when I submit to His leading in that regard I find that I listen more effectively to His voice; I listen more effectively to my family and those I lead; I feel spiritually, physically and emotionally rested. Perhaps this is part of what Jesus meant when He said "take my yoke upon you and learn of me" - then we can truly experience an unhurried life that is connected to the vine as our source of life, strength and rest. This ties in with being Spirit-led. It's a whole lot easier to be led by someone when you are connected to them.
ReplyDeleteBut if a pastor showed up 4 days late and then resurrected the guy from the dead, he wouldn't have to worry about looking for work - Oprah, Dr. Phil, and all the rest would keep him booked for a year.
ReplyDeleteThen after that he would wind up as the subject of many Christian blogs trying to determine whether or not the miracle was genuine.
ReplyDelete